Going to see a movie is a great way for an individual to spend his free time. Movies seem bigger and better on a big screen. Advertisers see movie theaters as great places to show advertisements because they have an immediate captive audience ready to view their message. Movie theater advertising is not all advantageous. There are disadvantages to movie theater advertising for a small business.

Cost

The cost to advertise at a movie theater is high, especially for a small business. First, there is the cost to produce the advertisement. This can run in the thousands of dollars or more depending on how much a business wants to spend. The next cost is to have the advertisement shown in the movie theater. According to "The Wall Street Journal," movie theaters draw a big portion of their revenues from the advertisements before movies. These revenues have increased 10 to 15 percent in the past few years.

Lack of Audience

Individuals going to see a movie know that the advertisements will start immediately prior to the movie. They may arrive late in order to avoid sitting through them before the movie starts. According to Auburn University, many individuals feel that the purpose of attending a movie is to see the movie, not the advertisements. A small business would not want to spend its advertising money in a venue where the audience does not exist.

Recall

Studies show that the typical movie theater audience has no recollection of the advertisements that they viewed prior to seeing the movie. The audience's attention is solely focused on the movie and relaying the movie plot to their friends. A small business needs to focus its advertising on another advertising method that will reach its audience and keep the company name or product in the individual's head. The goal is for that individual to recall that product and talk to someone else about it.

Target Audience

A final disadvantage to movie theater advertising for a small business is that it might not reach the target audience for the product. A small business will focus its product on a certain demographic to get the product sold. Once the small business has narrowed down its target demographic, the appropriate place to advertise will need to be chosen. Movie theater advertising has to be geared toward the typical movie theater attendee, which could be a teenager for some films and an older individual for other films. A small business does not have the financial ability to cater to all of these different demographics.